Toll-clock.



C. H. GRAVES.

TOLL CLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED 05c. 11. 1914.

Patented Apr. 4,1916.-

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NITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE.

CARLETON H. GRAVES, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

TOLL-CLOCK.

Application filed December 11, 1914. j Serial No. 876, 37,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CARLETON H. GRAvEs, acitizen of the United States, residing in the city and county ofPhiladelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulToll-Clock, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful toll clock for telephones,wherein I provide means which is under the control of the user of thetelephone to indicate and determine beyond a doubt the amount of timeconsumed during a telephone conversation wherein the charge therefor ismade de-,

pending upon the time the caller has been in communication.

The invention consists of a single movable indicator with means foractuating the same and with means for controlling the actuating means,with a dial face having graduations thereon arranged in multiples of aminimum toll period, with an insignia to indicate when the time limithas been reached.

It further consists of other novel features of construction, all as willbe hereinafter fully set forth.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, I have shown in theaccompanying drawing one form thereof which is at present preferred byme, since the same will give in practice satisfactory and reliableresults, although it is to vbe understood that the variousinstrumentalities of which nism and with a manually operable member orlever 2 for starting and stopping the clock mechanlsm.

3 designates a single movable indicator vor pointer suitably mountedupon a shaft of the operating mechanism in order that suitable motionwill be imparted to said indicator.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

4 designates a dial face for the register upon which are graduationsarranged in multiples of three. The large graduations 5, as will beseen, serve to indicate intervals of minutes, while intermediategraduations 6, between each of the main graduations, serve to indicateintervals of thirty seconds. Between each of the main graduations andthe intermediate graduations, are smaller graduations 7, which serve toindicate intervals of fifteen seconds, while still smaller 'graduations8 may be provided, each to indicate intervals of five seconds.

9 designates an insignia arranged preferably at the three minutegraduation and preferably of a contrasting color to the othergraduations, to indicate when thetime limit of a telephone call has beenreached.

It will be understood that the pointer or indicator 3 is normallypositioned at zero which is at the upper portion of the face of the dialand at the bottom thereof, is the insignia 9 for indicating the timelimit, whereby the toll clock will serve to indicate 7 the time'consumedby the call; when the time limit has been reached, and the excess timebegins, the graduations following the excess insignia, will serve toindicatethe eX- cess time consumed beyond the time limit.

It will be understood that by reason of the manually operated lever 2,the subscriber can start the operation of the actuating mechanism whenthe conversation begins and the indicator will be actuated and when theconversation is finished the user moves the lever 2 to stop themechanism and immediately the indicator will stop, so that the clockwill give a positive and accurate indication of the total amount of timeof the conversation.

Special attention is directed to the fact neutral position of theindicator is vertical and that when the time limit of three minutes, forexample, is reached, the indicator has made one-half of a revolution.The adthat in the preferred form illustrated, the

vantage of this is that no mental process is necessary for the user todetermine when the time limit has been reached, since he can see atajglance that one-half of a revolution has been made.

By the employment of my present invention, there is no guess work aboutthe amount of time used, and since the party telephoninghas before him avisible indicator to accurately and visibly indicate the amount 'oftimewhich hasbeen used, such .1 invention, if, for any reason, the telephoneservice is interrupted, the toll clock or meter may be arrested in itsmovement and then started when the service is resumed.

It will now be apparent that I have devised a novel and useful tollclock, which embodies the features of advantage enumerated as desirablein the statement of the invention and the above description, and while Ihave, in the present instance, shown and described a preferredembodiment thereof which will give in practice satisfactory and reliableresults, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible ofmodification in various particulars without departing from the spirit orscope of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

l. A dial for toll clocks, comprising a disk having graduatio-nsarranged in multiples of a minimum toll period to indicate minutes anddefined by minute marks, and an insignia at the first minimum tollperiod mark to indicate the expiration of the minimum toll period.

2. A dial for toll clocks, comprising a disk having graduations arrangedin multiples of three to indicate minutes and defined by minute marksand an insignia at the first three minute mark to indicate theexpiration of a time limit.

3. Adial for toll clocks,,eom 'prising a d k having graduations arrangedin multiples of three to indicate minutes and defined by minute marks,intermediate division marks between each minute mark to indicate thirtyseconds, intermediate division marks between the thirty second marks toindicate fifteen seconds, and an insignia at the three minute mark toindicate the prescribed time limit.

i. A dial for toll clocks, comprlsing a diskhaving an inner circleprovided with divisions to indicate minutes and defined by minute marks,an intermediate circle bisected by the minute divisions and havingdivisions intermediate thereof to indicate half minutes, an outer circlesubdivided by the minute divisions and the half minute divisions andhaving divisions to indicate quarter minutes, and an insignia at thethree mlnute mark to give a visual indication when the time limit isreached.

CAR-LETON H. GRAVES.

\Vitnesses H. S. FAIRBANKS,

C. D. McVAY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G.

